Spring-forming machine.



A. H. LUEBKE.

SPRING FORMING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED 11176.12, 1911.

1,020,767, Patented Mar. 19, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. H. LUEBKE.

SPRING FORMING MAOHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 12, 1911 1,020,767. I Patented Mar. 19,1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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COLUMBIA mNoaRAPM C0,, WASHINGTON. D. c.

A. H. LUBBKB.

SPRING FORMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION puma AUG. 12. 1911.

Patented Mar. 19, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

W m w j UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST H. LUEBKE, OF KENOSHA, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR '10 BENJAMIN F. WINDSOR, 0F KENOSHA, WISCONSIN; WILLIAM F. WHITE EXECUTOR OF SAID WINDSOR,

DECEASED.

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, AUGUST H. LUEBKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kenosha, in the county of Kenosha and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Spring-Forming Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to spring-forming machines of the type disclosed in Hoefer Patent No. 598,094, granted February 1, 1898, such machines being adapted to form single or double coned wire springs, such as are commonly used in spring beds and upholstered furniture.

The primary object of my invention is to provide means adapted to co-act with the wire-feeding, wire-coiling and wiresevering devices of a machine of the character indicated, to bend the end portion of an end-convolution of the coil in such manner that it will not, in use, injure any fabric or part with which it may be brought in contact.

The invention is illustrated in its preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings, which illustrate so much of a machine of the character described in the above-mentioned patent as is necessary to a full understanding of the present invention.

In the drawingsFigure 1 represents a plan view of a spring-forming machine embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a broken front elevational view of the same; Fig. 3, a broken section, on an enlarged scale, taken as indicated at line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. i, a broken perspective View illustrating the relation of the movable wire-shearing blade and the member actuated thereby which serves to strike and bend the advance end portion of the succeeding coil atthe moment of severance of the formed coil; Fig. 5, a broken perspective view of the stationary shearing-blade; Fig. 6, a broken plan view showing again the relation of the recipro' eating wire-shearing member and the Wirebending, or convolution-deforming, member which is illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 4:; and Fig. 7, a broken elevational view of a coil formed by the machine illustrated, this view illustratin how the end portion of an end-convolution is bent or Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 12, 1911.

Patented Mar. 19, 1912.

Serial No. 643,703.

curved inwardly, i. 6., away from the outer plane of the end-convolution of the coil.

It may be stated preliminarily that a machine of the character illustrated comprises a frame; wire-feeding rolls located at or near the front edge of the frame and adapted to feed the wire, but provided with means for intermittently elevating the upper feed roll to interrupt the feed during the severance of the wire after the formation of a coil; an automatically oscillated abutment or forming-member located back of a guide through which the wire passes from the feed rolls, the movement of said forming-member serving to automatically vary the diameters of the successive convolutions of the coil an automatically-reciprocated convolution-spacer over which the convolutions successively slide during the formation of the coil; wire-severing means comprising a stationary shearing'memloer and a reciprocating.shearing-member, the latter being actuated by asuitable cam after the formation of each coil and during the interruption of the feeding of the wire; and a wire-bending member, or convolution-deforming member adapted to offset inwardly the extremity of the advance port-ion of the wire, this action occurring practically simultaneously with the severance of the wire after the formation of a coil. The wire is fed into the machine parallel with what has been termed the front edge of the frame, and as the coil is formed, it is caused to project in front of the machine at right angles to the front edge of the frame.

The machine, as illustrated, comprises a lower feed roll 1. mounted on the front end of a non-shiftable rotary shaft 2; an upper feed roll 3 mounted on the front end of a rotary shaft 4: which is adapted to oscillate slightly about a pivot 5 near its rear end to enable the roll 3 to be lifted out of feeding engagement with the wire; guides 6, 7 and 8 through which the wire passes, the guide 8 being located in the rear of the feed rolls, :7. 0., in position to receive the wire after it passes from the rolls; a coiler or deflector 9 mounted, for automatic oscillation, on the front end of a rock-shaft 10 whi h is equipped with an arm 11 actuated through the medium of an arm 12 which is equipped at its free end with a set-screw or bearmg 13 which rests upon a l'OClGELllIl l4 pivoted at 15 on a standard 16 carried by the main frame 17, said arm 14 having a roller 18 actuated by a cam-wheel 19; a convolutionspreader or spacer 20 mounted on the front end of a plunger 21 which is adapted to be actuated through the medium of a lever 22 which is pivoted at 23 and equipped with a cam 24 which co-acts with a rotary cam 25 in a manner described in the abovementioned patent; a stationary shearing-blade 26, which co-acts with a reciprocating shearing-blade 27 formed at the front end of a plunger 28, the rear end of said plunger 28 being adapted to be engaged by a cam 29 carried by one of the gear-wheels 30 of the machine; and an oscillatory wire-bending or convolution-deforming member 31 pivoted on the frame 17 in the rear of the coil-forming member 9, as indicated at 32, said member 31 being an angle-form member, the operative arm of which is adapted to be engaged by the movable shearingmember and caused to bend or deform the advance end portion of the wire 33 during the operation of severing the formed coil from the Wire.

Power is communicated to the shaft 2 through the medium of a pulley 34. The

shafts 2 and 4 are connected by gears 35 to rotate in unison. The shaft 4 is equipped with a rigidly mounted pinion 36 which operates the large gear-wheel 30, the latter being journaled freely on the shaft 2. The gear 30 has connected, to rotate with it, the cams 37 which correspond with cams D, D of the above-mentioned patent and serve to oscillate the shaft of the upper feed-roll. Connected to rotate with the gear 30 is a gear 38 which meshes with a similar gear 39 which operates the shaft 40 upon which the cam 19 is secured. As stated, the cam 19 serves to actuate the rock-arm 14 through the medium of the roller 18.

It is preferred to mount the rock-shaft 10 so that it will be capable of sliding longitudinally somewhat in its hearings, in order that the wire coil-arm will be carried laterally slightly when the member 31 is operated to strike the wire adjacent the forming-arm 9. To return said shaft 10 to its normal position, it is equipped with a coilspring 41 disposed between the bearing 42 and a stud 43 with which the shaft 10 is equipped. Similarly the plungers 21 and 28 are equipped respectively with springs '44 and 45 which tend to hold them in their retracted positions, it being borne in mind that the plunger 21 which carries the convolution-spacer 20 is actuated through the medium of the lever 22 and cams 24 and 25, while the plunger 28 which carries the shearing-member 27 is actuated through the medium of the cam 29 carried by the gear 306 The convolution-spacer 20, which is mounted on the forwardly-projecting end of the plunger 21, is provided with a shieldportion 46 which serves to protect the front face of the feed-roll 1 from contact with the coil during the formation of the latter.

The stationary shear-member 26 is provided with a shearing-surface 47 which coacts with the shearingsurface 48 of the member 27 (see Fig. The stationary member 26 is further provided with a bevieled surface 49 against which the advance end of the wire may bear after the severance of a coil during the process of bending the advance end of the wire. The short arm member 31 is provided with a slot 50, which, with a cap-screw 51, forms the adjustable pivotal connect-ion 32 for the member 31. The long arm of the member 31 has its free end-portion offset downwardly, as indicated at 52, and adapted to be engaged by a shoulder 53 of the plunger 28, the free end of the member 52 lying above the shearing-surface 48 of the shearingmember 27. The end-portion 52 of the member 31 is provided with a forwardlyprojecting flange, or lip, 54 which is adapted to strike the wire 33 adjacent to its extremity, at the moment that the formed coil is being severed, thus forming the bend 55 shown in Figs. 3 and 7 The operation of the machine is, in general, like the operation of the machine set forth in the abo-vementioned patent. The wire 33 is forced, by the feed-rolls 1 and 3, through the guide 8 and against the automatically-oscillated forming, or coiling arm, 9, which, as shown in Fig. 3, is provided with a groove 56 through which the wire passes. The member 9 is equipped with a hardened steel bearing member 57 which projects into the groove 56 and is adjustable by means of a set-screw 58, as shown in Fig. 2. As the wire is forced against the arm 9, it is deflected and formed into convolutions of varying diameter, depending upon the distance of the arm 9 from the guide 8. As the convolutions are formed, they impinge against the outer sur-- face of the convolution-spacer 20, which gives to the convolutions the desired pitch. After the coil has been formed, the upper feed-roll is automatically lifted from the wire, so that the feed ceases. Thereupon, the plunger 28 is actuated through the medium of the cam 29, thereby carrying the shearing-member 27 beneath the stationary shearing-member 26 and severing the formed coil from the wire. In this operation, the wire-bending member 31 is turned about its pivotal connection at 32, and the lateral lip, or flange, 54 at the free end of the long arm of the member 31 is caused to strike the advance end-portion of the wire in the machine, thereby producing the'bend 55. The severed coil drops in front of the .iachine, the feeding of the wire is resumed, and a new coil is formed, with the advance end-portion of the convolution provided with the bend 55. In the meantime, the plunger 28 is retracted by its spring; and as the feeding of the wire is resumed, the member 31 is crowded back or retracted by the wire bearing against it. The bend is so disposed that the extremity of the wire is turned inwardly, that is, along the axis of the coil, so that it will not interfere with any fabric or mattress which may be placed over the spring structure in which the coil is used.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no undue limitation should be understood therefrom, but the appended claims should be construed as broadly as permissible in view of the prior art.

What I regard as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a spring-coiling machine, the combination with intermittently-interrupted wirefeeding means, wire-coiling means, and wireshearing means, of an independently mount ed wire-bending member located adjacent the shearing-means and co-acting to bend the end-portion of the Wire substantially sin'iultaneously with the severance of the formed coil.

2. In a machine of the character set forth, the combination with intermittently-interrupted wire-feeding means, convolutionforming means, and shearing-means including an oscillating shear-member, of a wirebending member located adjacent said shearmember and oscillated therewith, said wirebending member being in position to bend the advance portion of the wire in the ma chine at substantially the moment of severance of the formed coil.

3. In a machine of the character set forth, the combination of intermittently interrupted wire-feeding means, convolutionforming means, a stationary shear-member provided with a beveled wire-bearing surface. a movable shear-member, and a wirebending member actuated by the movable shear-member and adapted to strike the wire against the bearingsurface of said stationary shear-member.

4. In a machine of the character set forth, the combination with intermittently-interrupted wire-feeding means, convolutionforming means, and shearing-means including a stationary shear-member and an oscillatory shear-member, the oscillatory shearmember being recessed above its shearing surface, of a wire-striking member extending into the recessed portion of the oscillatory shear-member and adapted to be actuated by said oscillatory shear-member.

In a machine of the character set forth, the combination of intermittently-interrupted wire-feeding means, an automatically-oscillated wire-coiling member, a stationary shear-member equipped above its shearing edge with a beveled wire-bearing surface, a plunger having its end-portion provided with a shear-member and above said shear-member with a recess, and a wirestriking member extending into said recess and adapted to be actuated by said plunger.

6. In a machine of the character set forth, the combination with intermittently-interrupted wire-feeding means, convolutionforming means, and wire-shearing means, of an adjustably-pivoted wire-striking member co-acting with the movable member of said wire-shearing means.

7. In a machine of the character set forth, the combination with intermittently-interrupted wire-feeding means, convolutionforming means, and wire-shearing means, of a wire-striking member of bell-crank form, and a pivotal support for said wire-striking member.

8. In a machine of the character set forth, the combination with intermittently-interrupted wire-feeding means, convolutionforming means, and wire-shearing means, of a wire-striking member of bell-crank form, and adjustable pivotal connections for said wire-striking member.

9. In a machine of the character set forth, the combination of a pair of wire-feeding rolls, means for intermittently separating said rolls, a guide through which the wire is forced from said rolls, a longitudinallyshiftable rock-shaft equipped with a formingarm provided with a wire-receiving groove, a stationary shear-member, an oscillatory shear-member, and a wire-striking member actuated by said oscillatory shear-member.

10. In a machine of the character set forth, the combination with intermittentlyinterrupted wire-feeding means and wirecoiling means, of a stationary shear-member having a beveled rear surface, a plunger having its front end provided at its lower portion with aprojecting shear-member, and a pivotally-mounted wire-striking member located above said last-named shearingmember and adapted to be actuated by said plunger, said wire-striking member having a forwardly-projecting lip adapted to engage the Wire.

AUGUST H. LUEBKE.

In presence of- PETER FISHER, MYRTLE KvIcALA.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington. D. C. 

